


Would you read this ?

by Klouh



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Return of Arthur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 09:29:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15816150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klouh/pseuds/Klouh
Summary: This is some kind of modern Merlin, I don't know how to say it as I'm not familiar with all the AU/fix-it/etc vocabulary. Basically, Arthur woke up one day in modern England, and somebody is there to welcome him (not Merlin - yet).





	Would you read this ?

**Author's Note:**

> This is exactly as the title say it is. This is a draft. Would you read what's next ? I'll write it anyway, but obviously, if someone's waiting, I'll probably write it faster.
> 
> Other characters will DEFINITLY come around, don't worry.  
> I'll stick with what's canon, if I don't it's my mistake (and it's quite possible as I haven't rewatch Merlin in a while, and don't intend to because of a cruel lack of time - it's easier to write than to watch a show when other people are around)
> 
> If you want a french translation, just ask, I'll probably do it quickly // Si vous voulez une trad en français, demandez, je le ferais rapidement =)
> 
> PLEEEEEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINION !! ANY opinion.  
> (I had no beta for this quick draft, so there is probably a bunch of english mistake. Anyone who want to correct them is welcome to do so - and I don't even know if this is a gramaticaly correct sentence, but you probably got it anyway <3 )

The day I met him was a sunny january day. I was there for three months, and finally began to adapt to this foreign life. I love my job, but it's a bit complicated and not really interesting to novices eyes, so let's just say that I got some kind of partnership between my hospital in France and this one in the UK. So I'm here for four years, to do some research with the UK team.

Anyway, one day after work, I was walking around in the huge hospital park, near the lake. It was still early so there were not many people there, and when I reached the end of the park, I hadn't seen anyone in like fifteen minutes. Until that guy, lying down on the shore, his legs in the water. To be honest, I was never good in first aid, so I kinda hoped he was just a weird guy who liked to sleep almost entirely in the cold lake.

Obviously, he was not that kind. But he was alive and breathing and I tried to wake him up because I do at least know that it's not a good idea to sleep in cold water... But I was expected a drunk guy so I kept my nose away from is mouth. I was not disappointed when he woke up. He jumped on his feet and yelled at me. I didn't understand a word, but again, english's not my mother tongue, so forget about drunk-english...

I tried to calm him down, telling him that I wanted no harm, but he didn't seemed to understand me, and I couldn't smell any alcohol - could be because of all the water though... He kept reaching for something at his side that was obviously not there, and he looked around like he was looking for something else, or maybe someone. He was clearly disoriented, so I sat there, my hands visible, and I waited. He didn't seem so drunk after all, not clumsy, and not holding his head in his hands like some guys do. I didn't know what to do ; he didn't appear to be dangerous but we never know. And he seemed lost and even sad and I don't know what happened to me but I had the feeling that he deserved a chance. Just in case, I still kept my phone near me, and I was sitting near the track that leads back to the hospital.

Finally, he seemed to calm down, frowned and yelled what I thought was a name. He tried a few times, so by the end of it, I was sure he was calling a Merlin. I smiled at that, after all, we are in Avalon and this name means something around here... I tried to say that Merlin was not here right now, but _I_ was, so maybe I could help? He frowned again, and I realized that his face probably reflected mine when he spoke. He didn't understand a word. I tried french, and even the few german words that were still in my brain, but nothing worked. So I went for the basic. I pointed at my chest, and said my name, a few times, just to be sure. Then I pointed at him, and raised an eyebrow in what I intended to be an interrogation face. I think he got it, because he slowly pointed himself and said : "Arthur." I smiled again. Of course his name was Arthur...

I kept things practical and put my arms around me, to imitate being cold, and ask him "Cold ?" I did the gesture a few times, with noise of shiver and chattering teeth. He nodded slowly, without stopping to watch me like I was going to attack him somehow, or rather like I was absolutly crazy... But honestly, I was as sane as I could, and the only advantage I physically had on him was his low body temperature. He was - and still is - taller than me, and clearly in a good physical shape. But that's not the point... He WAS cold, so I gave him my jacket, too small for him of course, but that was all I could do for him at the moment. Then I carefully stood up and make the universal 'follow me' gesture, and said "Come." Well, in fact, this gesture may not be universal, but I hoped he would understand. He looked around one more time, hesitated but still came with me. I wanted to ask if he was injured somehow, but I couldn't find any gesture that could be correctly interpreted, so we just walked silently.

When we arrived near the hospital, he gasped and stopped. He said something in his language, and I could swear he was swearing. He seemed distressed and threatened. Scared. I said reassuring thing to him, nice stuff about the place. I knew he couldn't understand, but I tried to use a voice tone that could not be misunderstood. I didn't want him any harm. It kinda worked, and he followed me again, slower this time. He was looking everywhere, and frowning. We had to stop when a plane flew over us, and also when we saw the first car driving. But finally, we reach the ER.

I explained everything I knew, which was not much, to the doctors, and said goodbye to him with a wave and a smile. But when they started to try to take his clothes off, and he yelled at them and try to defend himself, I couldn't stay away. I ran back at him and used the same voice than earlier, and explained to him that they just wanted to help him. I breathed heavily, and added a gesture, to make him understand that he should do the same. The nurses got the clue and talked to him calmly, like he was a small kid. I think he realized it because he frowned again, but he let them do their job. I tried to leave again, but he grabbed my arm with his hand and said something, just a word. He said it with such a tone, and he looked at me with the most serious eyes ever, and I knew what he had told me.

"Stay." 

*

 So I stayed. I stayed and I looked away when the nurses and the doctors checked every inch of him, I stayed and calmed him down when they approached him with some machines. I stayed and asked him to lie down in the scanner and the MRI. I stayed. He was fine. But he was not talking any language that anyone here knew, and he had no ID. He was just Arthur.

They kept him because the hospital was miraculously not crowded, and few days after, the police came to fill some paper about him, in case someone was looking for him. The officer took a picture, and Arthur nearly attacked him because of the flash, but I was there to stop him. Obviously not physically, but he seemed to listen to me.

I could tell that he was frustrated by the lack of comprehension between him and the rest of the world, so I tried to find someone who knew his language. I recorded his voice once, which seemed to amuse him a lot. He asked me to listen to himself a few times and laughed. It was the first time I heard his laugh. I tried to teach him a few words, but I'm not a teacher so I didn't know how to do it well. Though, he seemed to remember everything.

Every day after work, I came to visit him. Sometimes I took my lunch with him too, and I never left before the nurses kicked me out for the night. I only kept my habit to go to that sports bar on wednesday nights, near the place I lived in the first weeks I was here. The barman was really nice, so it was my "day off", when I could talk about everything else in my life - my job, my boss, my crush, the latest movie I watched or the books I've read.

Finally, one day, someone recognized the message in a bottle I posted online with Arthur's voice. The guy told me about his great great uncle or something, who was an old-school teacher. The guy had recognized Arthur's language to be very close to one of the ones his relative used to teach. Some kind of very ancient english. The great great uncle was dead, but he had published a book to learn this language. The guy told me everything I needed and the next saturday, I got the book in the mail. That day, when I came into Arthur's room, he greeted me like always : "Hello Anna." He always made a point to address everyone with their name - and title, when they had one - and it was actually kinda nice. The nurses liked that a lot too, but I suspect them to just like him a lot... He was really good-looking after all.

But anyway, I came in and showed him the book. The front page had a few lines in this old english, so I thought it could ring a bell. It did. He seemed so happy ; he started to talk to me like he never did, like suddenly I understood... The book was really well-done, just like a basic dictionary with a few lessons about grammar and stuff. I showed him a few words that he already knew, so he could understand how it worked. After a few minutes, he grabbed the book and searched for something, muttering under his breath. Finally his face lighted up and he pointed a word. He frowned, concentrated, and then looked at me and said "Thank yo". I melted, but kept the appearences and corrected : "thank YOU". He repeated that last word, and smiled.

We spent the rest of the day, in fact the whole weekend, communicating with this book. It was slow, but still efficient. He wanted to keep the book, but I wanted to have it too, so I ordered a second one. I worked hard to learn Arthur's language. He progressed faster... After all, I still had to go to work ! We discovered similarities between modern and old english, so it became easier and easier to talk. Within three months after he appeared, we were practically talking without the book, mostly in modern english. Sort of. Actually, it was easy for us to talk, because english was not the mother tongue of any of us. So basically, we were talking some language we called "almost-english".

We mostly talked about everyday life. I explained cars, plane, computers, phones to him, and also some of the medical stuff, and also coffee, chocolate, ice cream... Every "modern" thing seemed to be strange for him, but he actually did catch up quickly, even if he sometimes looked kinda puzzled. I didn't make him watch tv, I thought that all the bad stuff in the world could wait... The language-thing also implied that he finally could talk to the doctors, and he quickly moved in the psychiatric wing, because of his amnesia.

 *

 Amnesia, really ? Well...

One morning, we were walking in the park, and he suddenly stopped. He looked sad, just like he was every time we were outside, especially when he looked at the lake. It was like he missed his life, even if he hadn't had any. He asked me to sit down, held my hand so I could actually sat on the ground - always his gentlemen manners - and joined me. He looked around and started to talk.

"You tell me there is no magic here. So, this is not normal, but believe me. I am not lying. I know that it is strange, but magic exists. There is no other explanation for me here. I died long time ago. I remember. Too much. What I want to say, is that I remember my life. But I think it is too strange for tell the physicians. My name is Arthur Pendragon, and I am - or was maybe - King of Camelot. I died a long time ago. There was a friend with me, that is why I search him when you hmm... find me the first day. I hope he is not dead. Hmm... he is probably though ; it was a long time ago."

And just like that, he stopped and stayed silent. My thought was running, I had thought he had forget everything, not that he remembered something that could not be. I looked at him, so sad, so tired. He was looking at the lake and if he would be someone else, I swear he would be crying. I made up my mind. Whether his story was true or not, whether it was _real_ or not, it was real for him. I couldn't let him down. Because he had no one else, and neither had I, at least not here. And honestly ? I kinda believed him, as weird as it sounds... So I told him so. I agreed that he wouldn't be a good idea to tell the doctors about that, and I asked him to tell me more about him, about his history. And so he did.

He told me everything about Camelot, about its great castle, about the village down the fortress. He told me about the forest and the fields around the city. He told me about the mountains, the lakes and the sea. He told me about the neighboring countries, the friendly kings and the vilest enemies. He told me about his family, his father Uther and his mother he never knew. He mentioned a half sister Morgana. I knew enough about the legend to know that she was not a good person, so I didn't ask more. He told me about is friends, about the Round Table and about the Knights. He told me about their love, their friendship, their loyalty and their courage. He told me a few stories about them, some names, some adventures. He told me about his wife Gwen. He told me about the pain he felt since I woke him up on the shore of the lake, knowing that he left her. He told me about her, about her beauty, and about how he met her, how he began to fell for her, and how he finally married her. He told me about how it was, to live with her. He told me that he misses her greatly.

And in everything, I felt something odd. I felt like he still kept something from me. But I didn't want to push my luck ; I didn't want to force him. He told me many other things, many stories. I laughed with him, I almost cried a few times, and I still noticed when something was missing. Like a piece of a puzzle, that would finally reveal the hidden image. The sun was way up in the sky, and I was starving. But I refused to say something that could stop him from sharing. He was quiet for a while, so I started to think about what he said, and I muttered a curse. I was so stupid...

"Arthur ? Can I ask you something ?" He turned to face me and raised an eyebrow. "What about hmm... Merlin ?" He sighed deeply, and looked even sadder... I was right then. He started to talk again. Basically, he stared all over again, but this time the holes were filled. He told me about Merlin. His manservant, his friend, his most loyal and beloved servant, as he realized. He told me about his stupidity, his weakness, his inabilities. Then he told me about his own stupidity, and how he was blind to the truth. Merlin was a sorcerer, he had magic, and Arthur only knew about that at the end. He only then told me about his end, Morgana, Mordred, his death. He told me about Merlin and what he had told him at the end. He told me about what he told his friend, he told me that he hoped Merlin had really understood what he meant. He told me he was sorry, just like if I was Merlin myself. He asked me if I ever forgave him, and I realized he was really not talking to me anymore. Finally, he muttered, so softly I almost missed it : "I'm so sorry Merlin..."

I was so caught by Arthur story that I was not surprised to feel a tear falling on my hand. He coughed, and added "I'm starving." I laughed, still half crying, and stood. "We have to get back. We missed lunch..." Well in fact, it was almost dinner time.

After that, we kept talking about everyday life - modern life, but also about the days in Camelot. Step by step, he told me everything. I was not scared that he could stop anymore, so I asked many questions. I quickly realized the differences between his days and mine, so I added social lessons to our program. Men and women equality, gay rights, the absence of nobility... To be honest, this one was quite difficult, since some countries still had nobility, like UK...

One day, when he kept arguing with me about what women could and couldn't do, should and shouldn't do, I even asked him if he knew what we did to one of our latest king in France. I left his room after giving him the answer, leaving him with his mouth open, feeling quite proud about myself. Obviously, I called him less than an hour later, and apologized deeply. But he returned the favor, and never questioned the abilities of women ever since.

 *

A few more months and Arthur started to be really bored. But the doctors were satisfied, because he made great progress in readjustment. They said that his memories could come back one day, maybe piece by piece, but still nobody was looking for him. So I went to see his doctors, and ask about some kind of permission for him to go out. After all, he was stuck in the hospital since I found him. And how could he make anymore progress in real life, without actually living it ? How could he learn to avoid a car, without actually walking near one ? The doctors promised me they'll think about it, and one day, Arthur told me that his doctor asked him if he wanted to spend a couple days out, that he thought Arthur was ready for it, and that I had offer to host him.

He seemed really happy about it, and thanked me in old english. I was glad that he was happy, and that he used his language again. As he learned modern english so fast, he stopped talking his own language very soon. I never gave up though, and still practiced on my own. Anyway, we set a date with the doctors, a weekend at the end of my holidays, three weeks later.

Right now, I'm at my parent's, writing this so I can finally "talk" to someone about this... Took me a few nights to be up date ! Obviously I talked about Arthur to my friends and family here, but I never mentioned the "King of Camelot" part. I fly back tomorrow. I plan to go to my sport bar tomorrow night - on a thursday !! - hoping Shane will be there... Honestly, I don't even go there for the sports, but just for him. I don't know if I'm just another annoying customer for him, but for me he's a friend. I hope I don't annoy him though... Anyway, on friday I'll clean my place, and I'll take Arthur with me on friday night ! I'll take him to a simple restaurant, I think, and then we'll see. I am terrified and impatient.


End file.
